Author: Southern Vegan

I’ve made baked carrot chips many times and we always love them, so I’ve been planning to make chips out of other veggies for a while. I finally tried zucchini last night. I will definitely make these again but with a few adjustments. I could have made the slices thinner, which would have made them crispier. I also should have dried the slices more before I added the olive oil. I will try using a lower oven temperature and a longer baking time also, and I will update this post if the results are better. They were not as crunchy as I would have liked, but the flavor was very good.

Mexican-style meals are a favorite in our house, as you have probably discovered by now. We bought frozen cauliflower rice from Sam’s Club and we had one bag left. My husband and I both had hard runs planned for yesterday so we wanted a meal that would be filling but also nutritious and not too heavy on calories. A cold front came through yesterday so the spice in this meal was just enough to warm us up.

Here is the recipe:

Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cauliflower rice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 each red, yellow, and green bell pepper, sliced

6 oz sliced mushrooms

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 tsp fajita seasoning

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown.

Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the peppers.

When peppers begin to soften, add the mushrooms to the skillet. Saute until they begin to soften.

Pour in the tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the black beans. Cook 3-5 minutes.

Add the spices and adjust as needed. Continue to cook on low heat until most of the liquid has cooked off.

You can add the frozen cauliflower rice and cook until it is heated or prepare the cauliflower separately and top it with the veggies. We prepared them separately. Homemade cauliflower rice would taste even better but the frozen option is perfect for a busy weeknight.

We have had a lot of “cold” weather in the South lately, so my husband has been craving soup often. I wanted to find a filling and comforting but nutritious side dish to go with all of our soup, and these veggie pastries are perfect for this role. You can add any type of veggies but we used peas, mushrooms, and squash.

This recipe is very similar to the enchilada lasagna recipe, but I made some changes to decrease my family’s exposure to BPA from canned food. I used dried pinto beans which I cooked ahead of time in the Instant Pot instead of using canned black beans and refried beans. I did use a can of enchilada sauce and a can of Rotel tomatoes though. With this recipe I made one 9×9 pan of casserole and I had another pan of leftover pinto beans and vegetables that I will use later in the week to make burritos or enchilada rice.

Here is the recipe:

Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb bag of dried pinto beans, cooked and drained

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 bell peppers, chopped

1 bag frozen corn

Fajita seasoning or spices of choice

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes

1 can enchilada sauce (I used green sauce)

12 corn tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet on medium to high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften. Add the garlic and stir for a minute.

Add the peppers and cook until they soften.

Add the bag of corn and stir until it is heated, approximately 5 minutes. Add seasoning or spices, cooked pinto beans, and the can of Rotel. Stir for 2 more minutes.

Coat the 9×9 pan with cooking spray or olive oil. Cover the bottom of the pan with corn tortillas.

Place a layer of the veggie mixture over the tortillas (use a slotted spoon to drain the extra liquid) and pour enchilada sauce over it.

Cover with more tortillas, then veggies and enchilada sauce.

Place another layer of tortillas and pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top.

My family has been eating a lot of bread lately, as a side with almost every meal. We have also had too many interruptions to our running routine, between weather and a bad cold that took the whole family out for days. We decided to look for some different healthy options for side dishes to help us get back in shape before the holidays. We had these zucchini boats with split pea soup and fruit. My husband and I both loved these, and I am not usually a fan of zucchini! Bread crumbs are not the same as bread, right?

Here is the recipe:

Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

5 medium zucchini

2 TBSP olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup vegan bread crumbs

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Wash the zucchini, remove the stem, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Brush with olive oil and place zucchini cut side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Bake 10 minutes.

While zucchini is baking, mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, and nutritional yeast in a small bowl.

Remove zucchini from the oven and turn over. Fill each with the bread crumb mixture, about one heaping tablespoon per zucchini half.

Return to oven for 8-10 minutes, until bread crumbs are brown and crisp.

I have been loving my Instant Pot lately. It’s so easy to throw the ingredients in, close the lid, and walk away instead of watching for water to boil or constantly stirring a pot, especially since the kitchen gets so hot with the stove on! This soup only requires a few ingredients and very little prep. We had French rolls with it tonight and they were perfect with this soup. The whole family loved it! Feel free to add extra veggies to this recipe. Carrots are a great choice.

Here is the recipe:

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1/4 white onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, chopped

5 cups water or vegetable broth

1 lb. dried split peas

Directions:

Pour the peas into a colander. Sort through them and pick out any debris. Rinse and drain.

Set the pressure cooker to sauté and add the oil. When it is heated, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until they soften.

Add the water or broth, then stir in the split peas.

Close the lid and set to sealing. Cancel the sauté mode and set the pressure cooker to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.

Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10-15 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.